(
(C) 2014 Taveau D’Arcy All copyrights reserved www.taveauleader.com
Greetings,
IN OUR ongoing EFFORT to inquire about WHAT, WHO is “purely Bible organic” as well as what is ACCEPTABLE as unto the Lord, i.e.
…..WHAT would be the LORD’S OWN MINISTRY TERMS regarding “going into the 5 fold office senior ministry”, we (especially including myself) need to take time to go apart to search out OUR (and my) OWN HEART and then maturely inquire of the Lord, what HE sees in us and our own spiritual CALLING…to surely perceive how HE views US…and what HE approves gladly of..and what HE does NOT.
In keeping with IFFM ORGANIC LEADER 2014 THEME: RELYING ON THE GOODNESS of the LORD: My ongoing apostolic Bible study(Meaning Genesis-Revelation) determines that the HEAVENLY FATHER is not an abusive, accusative or beating down kind of REAL FATHER…so we should not be afraid of seeking all of this ongoing, directly from HIM.
AND we do not want to WARP God’s New Testament command to “fellowship with the saints” by making it LESS than safe, healthy, accurately discerning, and spiritually mature, emotionally wise, PERCEPTIVE MINISTRY.
DOING, BEING,MODELING all of that will cause each one of US, to accurately “ORGANICALLY” radiate a welcoming “sweet smelling savor” which more truly represents Ephesians 1:6 “accepted in the beloved” (the winsome fragrance of the Father,respectful Son and welcoming Holy Spirit).
THE COMPASSION FATIGUED ELI TEMPLE HIGH PRIESTHOOD:
ELI’S COMING:WE NEED TO HIDE OUR HEARTS NOW
A Submitted Thought Provoking Selah
Book of I Samuel
© 2014 Taveau D’Arcy All copyrights reserved
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Book of I Samuel paints a chilling story of a Levitical Patriarch, Chief of Staff of the Temple,High Priest ELi and his two priest,”associate pastor” misgynous sons.
These reprobate, user- ministers also took the offerings that God’s people brought to the temple for their own selfish use.
And the Bible comments that due to Eli’s sons and permissive, enabling entire family, “the offering of the Lord was despised” in that time.
Although I Samuel examines several Bible RELATIONSHIPS, and shows bits of human real life persons’ up close genuine (leader) stories, it also teaches an upfront, and hidden, apostolic-prophetic national bigger one.
And in the Last Days, just before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, IFFM believes that the priesthood, primarily the fruits and the relationship interactions represented in I Samuel also are worth re-examining in light of ongoing 5 fold pastor, senior ministry offices all around the Christ Following world TODAY.
BOOK OF I SAMUEL CHAPTERS 1-5: The Cast of Leaders
ELI: well worn, life much experienced, elderly High Priest of the Hebrew Temple
HOPNI: Eli’s son and his associate staff minister/”assistant leader pastor”( right hand man?)
PHINEAS: Eli’s son and his associate staff and his other associate staff minister “assistant leader pastor”) (left hand man?)
ELI’S WIFE: Also the mother of Hophni and Phineas, although she is not mentioned. (but after reading the entire leader story, the writer wonder’s if she was dismissed as was not deemed ” worthy of giving input” (due to her being a Levitical woman) …
OR perhaps she also was now well ensconced in the family office perks and perhaps she also had become spiritually dense, dull and apathetic…
… or similarly weak like Eli, as each of her son’s, husband’s character incurred God’s holy apostolic wrath.
HANNAH: Weeping leader woman of God, future mother of the first prophet of the nation of Isreal: Samuel, Married to Elkanah, appears to have the favorite wife of Elkanah. She definitely has God’s favor on her..which provokes the other wife.
ELKANAH: Loving Good Husband to Hannah and Peniel
PENINNIAH: Second wife to Elkahah. Has many children, and is in great competition with Hannah, perhaps the rival for the primary attention he showers upon the Godly Hannah.
SAMUEL: Prophetically an answer to Hannah’s many prayers, but also the spiritual answer to the weeping dry spirit of God’s entire priestly ruled, governed, entire Hebrew nation.
RELATIONSHIP OVERVIEW:
The Senior High Priest has two associate pastors, his two sons Hophni and Phineas.
Hannah is well loved by her husband Elkanah, yet he also has another wife, Peninniah, who proceeds to make Hannah’s life unbearable.
This is because the well favored wife, Hannah, is childless. And Peninniah mocks the simple Hannah at every turn.
DESCRIPTION: CHIEF HIGH PRIEST ELI
As the Bible story opens, the senior temple highest authority, High Priest Eli, is well advanced in both age as well as proven, senior ministry repeated experience.
I PRESENT A SELAH REGARDING ELI’s AGE WHEN HE SEES WEEPING HANNAH:
Later in I Samuel, ELi dies at 98 after having judged God’s Hebrew people for “40 years.”
THAT could have made ELi’s age around 50 or beyond, which would have made him feel very well ministry and life seasoned, clearly fully knowledgeable, now that he had accomplished many great things.
Also perhaps Eli by that time, was resting with retiring in view, and reassured himself that by now: “he had seen it all and heard it all before.”
Yes, Chief High Temple Priest Eli was definitely continually aware of nearly all of God’s men temple women (and men), along with most of their complex big real issues: their trials, continual stubnornness, their many emotional deep intrigues, not to omit their petty complaining and neediness.
SURELY by this critical period of time, Eli had grown accustomed to facing many repeated emotional issues during the last many ongoing years. Perhaps he’d grown weary, and even a bit cynical after interacting, seeing so many similar draining big issues.
Now perhaps Chief Priest Eli considered himself to be at the top of his leadership Game.and it was a great secret source of pleasure to him (and he often laughed rudely leader made fun of) at increasingly ADEPT he was adept ducking and avoiding, by silently stereotyping, most all of the” whiners and complainers.”
And now, by this time in Eli’s very long ministry life, he would simply cross the temple court yard whenever he spied on of those overly emotional, way too talkative, greatly perceived to be “problematic” little “weak willed” church women.
THUS, as the Book of I Samuel opens, Eli has just taken a short break to go outside after holding temple services, offering many kinds of sacrifices and giving marriage counsel. He now needs to sit outside and lean against the temple columns.
Yet, on the porch of the temple, the Senior Chief Office finds that he cannot avoid a shaking, appearing to be muttering apparent to many other little church women, not knowing that this ” ordinary little church woman” was the future leader mother of the first prophet of the nation of Israel, to be called Samuel.
Then, instead of immediately sensing God’s COMPASSION to arise and go over to where Hannah is to offer Ministry Help or at least to inquire “What’s wrong, can I help you?
Instead the empathy free, weary compassion fatigued High Priest at first AVOIDS (doesn’t immediately display God’s ministry human compassion to RISE UP to go see about her…but first regards HIM SELF. (saving possible time, energy,etc)
Secondly…before RISING, on the spur of the moment Priest Eli CRITICALLY ASSUMING, ACCUSATIVELY PRESUMING, clearly JUDGING HER her based on “leadership stereotype” “presumptive critical leadership /supposing, misjudging” and the first thing that comes up in his heart is “Why she’s(just another big baggage laden)DRUNK. I Samuel 1:12-13
ELI ACCUSES RIGHTEOUS HANNAH: PUT AWAY YOUR WINE
/strong>
“ As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.””
**A mature female, Hannah suddenly appears on the temple steps.
** This unhappy appearing female, Hannah, is weeping uncontrollably, pouring out her troubles in agonized prayer and petition to the Lord.
** BASED ON HOW IT APPEARED: the weeping woman looks similar to many who have come before her to complain and tell their sob stories at the temple. Many of these(sometimes) leader, church women, had turned out to be oppressive sob sisters,who used the priests’ valuable emotional energy and took up a lot of unnecessary extremely important time. All too often, many turned out to be critical spirits, who were overly emotional and carried big unforgiveness baggage.
This in turn, had made the priestly staff attempt to spy them from afar to help avoid being dominated, side tracked or worn out.
** BASED ON PERCEIVING THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN HANNAH: Inwardly, privately, Hannah is genuine and authentic, and not “baggage laden” or “overly emotional.She is, however, deeply burdened, wounded and being repeatedly abused by the other wife,Peniniah because she is childless.
Back in those days, it was a sign of being blessed as a woman to have children. So this was also a huge factor in this upset.*
*Yet, there are MANY among the modern day Churches who are bearing this same sort of continual ongoing deep pain and grief.
NOW ADD TO THIS: PENINIAH REPEATEDLY ACCUSING, ATTACKING HANNAH
“Peninniah, the other wife, who has many children, once again, has been emotionally attacking, belittling and mocking the sorely wounded Hannah, for many ongoing repeated years. Peninniah, verbally repeatedly demeans Hannah, ridicules her as well as makes Hannah’s life miserable: because Hannah is barren.
So, Hannah flees to supplicate in what she probably regarded as a “Safe Accepting Spiritual Sanctuary:” the local (fellowship) TEMPLE.
THE HIGH PRIESTS SUPREMELY (HOLY) IMPORTANCE:
High Priest Eli but also both of his priestly sons, were most likely highly well known and regarded as the highest spiritual offices in the local area.
And by their Levitical office, were officially regarded as God’s Hand Picked Representatives…meaning that when any other person saw them around the region, that both Eli and each of His two sons, automatically were presumed to REPRESENT GOD to the Hebrew towns people.
Priests Eli, Hophni and Phineas, each appeared to have a spiritual mandate from the Most High Eternal God…which under Levitical law, must have implied that THEY EACH were “honorable, trustworthy and practiced leader fairness and maturity, even relationship, financial, spiritual governmental as well as moral deep HONOR.
And that they lived their lives and operated throughout their ministry according to the Old Testament Law and in the “fear of the Lord” (due to the solemn rules, penalties, many sacrifices and standing in holy of holies, Day of Atonement and a lot more..)
The PRIEST, PASTOR, 5 FOLD OFFICE ( Eph 4: apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist, pastor) is called and mandated by the Most Holy God to stand in the office and to represent GOD to the PEOPLE.
YET, when we examine the short Book of I Samuel very closely,we discern that Eli and his Levitical pastor sons, were NOT operating in God’s Whole Counsel, and appeared to have no “fear of the Lord” and they even used their office to take big advantage of the Hebrew people.
THE STORY OF ELI ACCUSING THE GODLY LEADER WOMAN HANNAH
The writer submits this as a SELAH:
Perhaps, due to the many many years that Eli had served in the overseer, High Priestly (spiritually wearing) office, and that he was now in advancing mortal years, that perhaps he had had grown blaise (complacent, imperceptive, accepting that life simply ongoing repeats itself, gets dull and boring…compassion fatigued and a dullness of accurate DISCERNMENT and leader PERCEPTION, frankly: lulled into misperceiving that “there is nothing new under the sun”).
We submit next: that the manner in which the High Priest Eli first REACTS as he spies the weeping, sobbing female(innocent Hannah) totally from afar (across the court ward from where Eli is taking a brief respite from his many demanding temple duties….clearly implies that the Chief High Priest is experiencing a major loss of by SPIRITUAL SHARP ACCURATE PERCEPTIVE DISCERNMENT but also both human caring, Godly compassion fatigue and ministry leader human EMPATHY.
We judge Eli only by the SPIRITUAL FRUITS that Eli’s senior high priestly office displays (gauged by how Eli reacts)…
** when he first spies a weeping single lone woman just a few yards away
** while he is trying to perhaps grab a short 20 minute leader break to himself
For it just so “happens” that on this particular day, leader Eli MIGHTY have also happened to be particularly bone weary due to so very many counseling appointments, marriage counseling sessions, officiating in sacrifices, speaking messages….even relentlessly…. all week long, even perhaps up to the very moment just before Eli went out to catch his breath on the temple porch area.
The writer can only imagine what Eli’s day had been like!
But then, just as Eli parked himself, a mysterious weeping lady appears…while HE still feels stressed, upset by the last counseling session and the church people’s ongoing, majorly COMPLEX big real ISSUES..
Add to this also is Eli’s enormous unfit girth: in all of the area hot weather, his huge over weight big problem is causing him to feel extra unhappy and extremely weary.
BUT, as is this Life, it is now, precisely at THIS TIME that Hannah simply shows up.
ELI SEES FAR OFF UNHAPPY HANNAH
The weary, exasperated senior priest might have already been majorly frustrated, even without the addition of an emotional little woman.
Surely the well accomplished High Priest, supposed that by this time, he had seen even several hundreds, appearing just like her.
And today the Office High Priest was frankly NOT in a mood to interact with only one more of those overly emotional, overly chatty, always all knowing females.
Eli and each of his sons had remarked among themselves, even snickered about how many times each one had had his ears nearly worn out by one of those needy, imperceptive “Serial Commenters.”
And, after all, this was Old Testament and the Levitical Law long ago religious days, so all girls, and leader women, were looked at as “under” ALL Patriarchal Levite men and were never senior ministers out in front, but usually minded the children,served in cleaning, sewing, helps and tended the family. ALL of which were and are very awe inspiring lay/church ministries, but each of them was not regarded as “going in to inquire of the Lord” like it can sometimes happen in NON LEGALISTIC JESUS FREEDOM..
(Note: There were Old Testament rare exceptions: Huldah, and Prophetic national judge the mighty Deborah, which the writer plans to discuss in depth here later and on www.iffmmenandwomen.net)
NOTE: Eli’s perception of the “sobbing female” was based on many subjective personal,spiritual, perceptive key factors and Old Testament Law roles.
JESUS who was from the non priestly tribe of JUDAH, came later to fulfill the requirements of the Levitical law but to model freedom from proud achievement formula religion by replacing it with Book of Ephesians whole body mature, (Ephesians 5:21) mutually respecting CORPORATE HUMAN BODY /ongoing RELATIONSHIPS…and males, females, nonlegalistic /nonperformance church roles, family/men,women non dominating roles.(a lot more later regarding all of that)
I SAMUEL LOOKING PAST THE LEVITICAL LAW
When we closely study I Samuel, we do note the days in and the Hebrew people to whom it was first written.
Yet in deeper examination, from the lens of New Testament, in which (this writer’s beliefs) that OLD TESTAMENT teaches APPLICABLE, BALANCED SOLID HOLY SPIRIT (relationship) PRINCIPLES rather than LEGAL LAWS..
we now may duly discern the big presence of ministry office use of, manly disrespect, prejudice, leader gender bias, even oppression, office tolerated, allowed (using, abusive) misogyny.
ALL of which may be widely accepted in other faiths, but which have NO PLACE in modern New Testament “accepted in the beloved” authentic Christ Following.
ABOUT CO-PASTORS HOPHNI AND PHINEAS
**High Priest Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phineas.
**Hophni and Phineas Eli’s right and left hand temple ministers. Second to the top, associate Pastors (in modern NT terms)
**Both of Senior Pastor Eli’s boys officiated in a temple highest area wide office, serving with and just “under” Chief Priest Eli.
** This implies that Overseer Eli might have, should have, would have repeatedly observed the actions of both his sons,and/or heard the local area basic scuttlebutt concerning each of them. YET he failed to step in and instead laid very low, accepted, leader tolerated and by doing such, allowed and enabled rampant high priestly office abuse /misuse of governmental authority, but also ongoing abuse of God’s own human people whom God had placed UNDER “HIS” /”THEIR” own “office care.”
In modern senior ministry vernacular, Overseer Pastor Eli was his own two pastor son’s overseer, head, superior and governing spiritual top authority, which made OFFICE ELDER, LEADER ELI accountable to the Holy LORD about whatever happened “under HIS watch.”
THE OLD TESTAMENT OFFICE OF THE CHIEF LEVITICAL HIGH PRIEST
**As God’s hand picked choice, and as the Temple Chief High Priest, Eli was set in the Lampstand(pastor, office of temple overseer, chief of in House staff.
**The office(s) God appointed Eli (and both of his sons) to was one that was very auspicious, and was set to raise up a local, area wide, righteous ministry standard, to help maintain RESPECT due the LORD by keeping God’s office dignified, sober, well ordered and in the holy terror, awesome reverential fear of the Lord.
**And such as it remains today in local 5 fold office Lampstands.
** The “awesome perception of representing the Most High God, would be perpetuated based on HIS, THEIR “accurate ministry true discernment and objective leadership perception.
SUMMING UP: The entire HIGH LEVEL MINISTRY STAFF would be fully expected, held accountable before /unto the Lord, to maintain a level of HEART PURITY, which would enable each of them to ongoing, fully, accurately, “perceive the difference between what was holy and what was profane.”
God Almighty understood that by the HIgh PRIESTS OFFICE self judging and acting according to His Laws “WHOLE COUNSEL” that as “the anointing flows down from the head” (Psalm 113)..that all of this would apostolicaly TRANSFER (silently, spiritually, invisibly” trickle down out into the entire Hebrew nation.
“Moreover, they(the priesthood) shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23
“And that ye(high priesthood) may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;” Leviticus 10:10 KJV
END OF PART ONE…topic to continue ..in 2 days
APOSTOLIC LEADER MISOGYNY APPROVED?
as the unfolding discussion of the Book of I Samuel continues..
(C)2014 Taveau D’Arcy All copyrights reserved
Error: Contact form not found.
